Artists Showcase Innovative Forms of Eco-Responsible Photography and Film at Saatchi Gallery

A Much-Needed Exhibition

‍Though not widely known, analog film and photographya time-honored art form favored by many artists entail significant environmental impacts. This is primarily due to the toxic chemicals and materials involved in film manufacturing and development.For the artists showcased in Metamorphosis, their mission is to preserve this beloved artform while pioneering innovative, sustainable methods for its practice. At its heart, Metamorphosis is a love letter to life, nature, and soil elements not just captured on film, but integrated into the mesmerizing techniques of photographic processing.

‍Scott Hunter‍ The first artist featured in the exhibition is Scott Hunter, a multimedia Scottish artist based in the UK whose work explores the often-destructive relationships between humans and the natural world.His installation, Darkroom Ecology, immediately captures attention upon entering the gallery. This innovative project involves a glass terrarium designed to grow and harvest peppermint leaves, which Hunter uses to develop film in a unique and sustainable way.

The peppermint leaves provide a completely non-toxic solution for film development, and they can even be nourished with the expired remnants left unused by Hunter. Ingeniously, the artist has created a self-sustaining ecosystem that allows him to photograph without contributing to the environmental damage depicted in his works.

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‍Hannah Fletcher‍ Like Scott Hunter, British artist Hannah Fletcher is constantly experimenting with creative and innovative ways to detoxify her darkroom practices. Her solution has been to transform plastic, celluloid and gelatin waste into a series of sculptures and multi-media pieces.This concept is exemplified by her piece Reclamation, a fully functional and visually imposing steel sculpture designed to detoxify the chemicals produced during the photographic development process.

The exhibition also features some of her beautiful photographs and pieces made with clay and other organic materials.Edd Carr‍ As spectators traverse the exhibition, they are sure to be drawn to the vibrant and eclectic reels of British artist and filmmaker

‍Edd Carr. Like the other featured artists, Carr focuses on conceptualizing and implementing more sustainable photographic practices, with a particular emphasis on adapting these methods to moving images.The gallery showcases many of Carr’s experiments with film. For instance, in the short films YORKSHIRE DIRT and HERE COMES THE WILDFIRE!, we see that he employs innovative printing methods involving soil and sun rays.

These films also convey Carr’s commentary on the current ecological crisis. In LEPIDOPTERA, a piece that draws a compelling parallel between the life cycle of a butterfly and his own, Carr’s deep sense of symbiosis with the natural world resonates powerfully with viewers.

‍Almudena Romero ‍

‍Also featured is British-Spanish artist

‍Almudena Romero, who has dedicated her research and practice to understanding the artist’s role in a world increasingly affected by climate change."Why should an artist willingly participate in the endless cycle of overconsumption?”, is the question that comes to mind when viewing her series of photographs printed on leaves. Though the leaves appear preserved within sturdy resin frames, their delicate and ephemeral nature is unmistakable. Each piece evokes a sense of witnessing a unique, pure beauty that transcends the constraints of the capitalist art industry.

The Innovative Nature of Art‍

‍As an organization built on the fusion of creativity, technology, and sustainable innovation, it is refreshing to see an exhibition that features minds thinking outside the box to reconnect with the poetic wonders of the natural world.Standing at the brink of our planet's destruction and facing the urgent need for climate action, we must not lose sight of the importance of art and its power to reinvent and transform our ways of thinking and living. To render artists disposable would be to ignore some of the most groundbreaking scientific and artistic projects in recent history.At IT4W, we invite you to continue supporting creative endeavors that contribute to the collective mission of protecting the earth from the destructive practices of the Anthropocene.